ARKcadia: Surviving the ARK
by LupaPup
Summary: This is what I experienced on the ARKcadia Roleplaying server, any appearances of characters who are not my own have been cleared with their creators. Rated T for future chapters. Join in the fun, at the ARKcadia Roleplay server, IP: 198 20 164 205:27015
1. Waking up

Sample #:779540154  
Venacular ID: Skuldr Keirsdottir  
Gender: Female  
Species: Homo Sapiens  
Attributes: Intelligence, Dexterity, Adaptability

Survival Quotient: To Be Determined

I don't know how long I've been here, it feels like forever...I woke up in a place with trees bigger than I've ever seen in my life, fallen needles stuck to my legs and stomach as I pushed myself up from the ground. My head ached and my vision blurry as I tried to place where exactly I was. I recall wondering what happened to my clothing, I could only assume something happened to the ship, maybe I was sleeping? I hadn't really ever been fond of sleeping clothed. So this seemed like a plausible explanation at the time...

Of course, until I saw them Dragons, or what I could only assume to be a dragon, it looked nothing like what Da had ever explained. These creatures were not Fafnir, nor Nidhog. These dragons looked like they were built of the earth itself. It walked on four legs, and its neck nearly as long as a tree. Giant rock-protrusions jutted out its back and tail, this thing was a walking mountain.

Suddenly my wrist burned, something had dug itself into my wrist? A rock maybe? To this day I still don't know how it got in there. At that time though, I didn't have much time to think as a group of three birds ran at me with incredible speed. I recall it taking me a moment to register it, I think my legs moved faster than my head at that point I did the only thing I could do - I ran, I ran until my lungs felt as though they would burst out of my chest. I should have saved some energy, I reached a large waterfall, the sound roared over everything else. It reminded me of home, where the river played along the rocks.

I think it was at that point I broke down, how was I going to get home? Where was I? Where was Da? Where was the ship? I couldn't recall even seeing parts of the boat. My body ached all over, though I was sure that had more to do with my run than the actual ordeal.

I didn't have time to think too much of the finer details over, as I heard a loud squawk behind me. My pursuers had caught up to me, gods above they were persistent. They stood between me and any land I may have had a chance at running from them. Again, my body had reacted faster than my mind and I was in the water the birds cawed in annoyance, I was apparently a harder meal than I was worth because they turned back into the forest.

I remember thinking I was safe, I was always a strong swimmer - more over, those birds couldn't get me.

Something touched my leg.

Something. Touched. My. Leg.

It wasn't big, it was really just a nudge, I looked down to see a flat fish swimming around me lazily. It turned suddenly and a felt a flash hot hot pain in my leg, I kicked away from it, and started for a rock closer to the edge of the waterfall. It seemed deterred by my kick and didn't attack me again, however blood seeped out of my leg, and the tell tale sign of something much worse crested the water.

The water now was too shallow for the shark to follow me, but when I went to pull myself on to the rock, I couldn't pull myself up, a combination of blood loss and algae growing on the rocks made it impossible. I held onto the rock as long as I was able to, but eventually the current won out - and I was sent over the edge.

I blacked out, when I hit the water below.


	2. Fist Kill

The ground shook under me, as I opened my eyes, a furry tree trunk moved past me. I latched on to it without thinking, it continued to move and drag me over the ground. I faded in and out of consciousness though only briefly because I continued to be pulled along the ground. The trunk was unusually warm, or maybe I was just unusually cold. [i]Wait, you need to wake up.[/i] My hazy mind shouted at me as I started to feel myself drift off again, I only half remembered my leg wound which along with the cold was causing my haziness. [i]Let go, and wake up.[/i] I forced my arms to unlock from the trunk and opened my eyes.

I was at the edge of a lake, and the "trunk" I had been holding on to was the leg of a rather large creature, two tusks protruded from its face, similar to that of a boar, only larger. Much. MUCH larger. I shivered as I looked down at my leg, which had miraculously stopped bleeding - thanks to the amount of dirt and grass in the wound itself. I needed to deal with that later, not now. Now I needed to worry about warming up, I felt sluggish and tired.

For the life of me, I couldn't remember how to build a campfire, I understood the concept of what I needed to do, but I couldn't process the steps to start that fire. I shook my head the chip on my wrist which glowed faintly. I pressed my fingers to it, and the holo screen appeared once again. Next to different attributes there was a flashing "+" [I]Heath, Stamina, Oxygen, Food, Water, Weight, Melee Damage, Movement Speed...Crafting speed?"[/i]

[i]Being healthier was always a good thing right?[/i] Hesitantly I pressed the button several times until it disappeared. Where the text had stated 'Health 70/100' previously, it was now 'Health 90/200'The numbers were slowly rising, the screen flickered then changed again, "Engram Points: 76!" A list of items, along with a value appeared. [i]Campfire![/i] I pressed it hurriedly, information flooded my mind, what to do to build it, how to light it, how to keep it lit. Everything. I understood everything about a campfire. I did the same thing with several of the other items which appeared to be useful in the list. Several tools, clothing, sleeping bag, and a few other various items - until all of my points were depleted.

I tested my leg, finding I could stand on it I immediately went to work on starting a to gather items for a campfire, as I gathered the various items the page had told me I needed I studied my surroundings. I appeared to be in a cave, but not really a cave...there was a large overhang of stone over me, only everything was growing fine - there were event full sized trees! Nothing like the towering masses I had seen when I'd woken up the first time however. I'd managed to make basic tools, a pickax, hatched, and even a few spears. I was more proficient with a bow - but a weapon is a weapon.

I sat with a bundle of plant fibers in my lap, weaving them into clothing just as the holoscreen had showed me. Finally I had a set of clothing, minus shoes and bindings for my hands - these items required hide. I looked around at the creatures around me, there was the large tusked creature, then something half its size with a large horn sticking out of its face, and two creatures I recognized as bears and deer - these creatures were a comfort to see. Deer, I knew how to kill, I knew I could eat those.

Grabbed four of my spears and crept slowly till I was positioned several feet behind the deer, its only means of escaping me would be to run into the corner of two tall rock walls. If this all went to plan, I'd have meals for awhile. I threw my first spear, it struck the deer hindquarters of the creature and as predicted it ran right into the corner. Two more of my spears found their mark. Backed into a corner and looking panicked and drained I ran up to the deer and with a finishing blow thrust my spear to end the creatures suffering.

That would be my first kill of many more to come in this cold and unforgiving land.


End file.
